Delta SkyMiles Gold vs. Delta SkyMiles Platinum

If you fly Delta, you probably already know about the benefits of earning and redeeming Delta SkyMiles. But you might not know that applying for a Delta credit card can expedite your miles-earning journey and give you access to more travel perks.

With an airline card from Delta in your wallet, you have the opportunity to earn SkyMiles on every purchase. Depending on which Delta credit card you choose, you may also be able to take advantage of some lucrative travel benefits — such as a round-trip companion certificate on certain flights, fee waivers for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry applications and more.

If you’re thinking about applying for a Delta credit card, you may be asking yourself which is better: the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card or the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card? Both cards allow you to earn Delta SkyMiles on everyday purchases, but only one card offers a handful of premium travel benefits.

That said, if you want the perks that come with the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, you’ll need to be prepared to pay a platinum-level fee. For some Delta travelers, the Delta SkyMiles Gold card might be the more sensible option.

Which is right for you? Let’s take a close look at the Delta SkyMiles Gold vs. the Delta SkyMiles Platinum and see if we can come up with a verdict.

Main Details

Delta SkyMiles Gold vs. Delta SkyMiles Platinum highlights

In the battle between the Delta SkyMiles Gold and the Delta SkyMiles Platinum, neither card is an across-the-board winner — but each wins in certain categories. Here’s how they stack up:

Welcome bonus winner

Delta SkyMiles Platinum

• Why it won

  Credit card welcome bonuses can be excellent tiebreakers when you’re on the fence between two cards, and both Skymiles cards award bonus miles if you hit a certain spending threshold during the first six months of card ownership. The Delta SkyMiles Platinum offers more miles total for its welcome bonus than the Delta Skymiles Gold — 20,000 more, in fact — which is why it wins this category.

  However, it’s important to look beyond just the number of miles to truly understand what you’re earning when it comes to both of these cards. Let’s do the math:

  • The Delta SkyMiles Gold card offers 65,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months, which means the bonus miles accumulate at about 21.67 miles per dollar spent.
  • The Delta SkyMiles Platinum card offers 85,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months, meaning the bonus miles accumulate at a rate of about 21.25 miles per dollar spent.

  As you can see, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card provides a larger overall bonus for only $1,000 more in spending.

  However, if you want to earn the most bonus miles per dollar spent, the Delta SkyMiles Gold is technically the better offer, even if you won’t earn as many miles. It might also be the better choice for you if you don’t think you’ll spend enough to hit that higher $4,000 spending threshold that the Skymiles Platinum carries.

Rewards rate winner

Delta SkyMiles Platinum

• Why it won

  If you’re looking to maximize your credit card rewards, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card is the clear winner. The Delta SkyMiles Gold card offers:

  • 2X miles on restaurant, U.S. supermarket and Delta purchases
  • 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases

  The Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, on the other hand, offers:

  • 3X miles on Delta flights, Delta Vacations and transactions made directly with hotels
  • 2X miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets
  • 1 mile per dollar on other eligible purchases

  Both cards offer the same rewards rate on restaurants (including delivery and takeout in the U.S.) and U.S. supermarkets, but you’ll earn more SkyMiles on travel purchases if you choose the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. You’ll also earn 1 Medallion Qualification Dollar (MQD) for every $20 you make in purchases, getting you closer to earning elite status by using the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card.

Annual fee winner

Delta SkyMiles Gold

• Why it won

  If you want to minimize your annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles Gold is your best option, with an annual fee of only $150. Plus, the annual fee is waived for your first year as a cardholder, which makes the Delta SkyMiles Gold card more than worth it for the first year.

  The Delta SkyMiles Platinum card charges a $350 annual fee, which might be too pricey for some cardholders. But in exchange for the high annual fee, you get access to money-saving travel benefits like an annual domestic companion certificate and a TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee waiver. You also get access to a number of available statement credits, plus you’ll receive a $2,500 MQD head start toward earning elite status each year.

  Even so, we’re giving this win to the Delta SkyMiles Gold simply because it’s clearly less expensive to carry. However, if you know that you’ll use and value the perks offered by the Delta SkyMiles Platinum, the annual fee can easily be worth it.

Which card earns the most?

If you want to earn the most SkyMiles per dollar spent, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum will likely give you the biggest bang for your buck — but only if you put a lot of your money towards travel purchases, including Delta flights. If you spend less money on travel and more money on everyday purchases like groceries, the two cards offer similar rewards-earning opportunities.

Delta SkyMiles Gold vs. Delta SkyMiles Platinum spending example

Let’s say you spent $1,000 on groceries and $500 on restaurants last month. Both the Delta SkyMiles Gold and the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card offer 2X SkyMiles on restaurant and U.S. supermarket purchases, netting you 3,000 SkyMiles for the $1,500 you spent on restaurants and groceries.

But what if you also bought a $500 Delta flight and a $500 hotel stay? The Delta SkyMiles Platinum card offers 3X miles per dollar on Delta purchases and direct hotel bookings, allowing you to earn 3,000 SkyMiles for the $1,000 spent. The Delta SkyMiles Gold card offers 2X miles on Delta purchases and only 1X mile per dollar on hotels, which means the $1,000 you put towards travel expenses would only net 1,500 SkyMiles.

Based on Bankrate’s latest miles valuations, Delta SkyMiles are worth about 1.2 cents apiece, making the rewards difference between the two cards — 1,500 SkyMiles, in this instance — worth about $18 in value.

Why should you get the Delta SkyMiles Gold?

If you want to earn rewards on everyday purchases and redeem them for an occasional Delta flight, the Delta SkyMiles Gold card is probably the right choice for you. Here are some additional benefits to consider:

Additional benefits

Want Delta travel perks? In addition to priority boarding, one free checked bag per flight and 20 percent off in-flight purchases (redeemed as a statement credit), Delta SkyMiles Gold cardholders can receive a $100 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 in a calendar year.

Cardholders also receive travel protections like baggage insurance, trip delay insurance and car rental loss and damage insurance.

Redemption options

The best way to redeem your Delta SkyMiles is by using them to purchase Delta flights. When you book flights on Delta.com, you can take up to $50 off the cost of your flight for every 5,000 miles you redeem. Don’t have enough miles to cover the entire cost of a flight? Delta will let you combine miles and cash. You can also transfer your miles to one of Delta’s airline partners.

If you’re not interested in flights, you can redeem your miles for:

• Magazines
• Special experiences
• Seat upgrades
• Delta SkyClub drinks
• Charitable donations through Delta SkyWish

Recommended credit score

People with good to excellent credit are most likely to be accepted for the Delta SkyMiles Gold card. We recommend building your FICO credit score to at least 670 before you apply.

Why should you get the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card?

If you fly Delta regularly, want to maximize your SkyMiles and want to take advantage of perks like various statement credits and travel protections, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card is a good option. And if you’re interested in earning Medallion Status, the boosted rate on Delta purchases will help you get there faster.

Additional benefits

Although the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card no longer offers reduced entry to Delta Sky Club lounges, it still offers a plethora of perks — including a TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee waiver and the opportunity to redeem a domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion ticket each year.

Plus, cardholders receive all the same standard perks offered by the Gold card:

• Priority boarding
• One free checked bag per flight
• 20 percent off in-flight purchases (as a statement credit)
• Baggage insurance
• Trip delay insurance
• Car rental loss and damage insurance

When it comes to earning Medallion Status, Delta SkyMiles Platinum cardholders can benefit in a couple of ways. First, spending on the SkyMiles Platinum card is eligible for an MQD boost of $1 MQD for every $20 in purchases. Cardholders will also receive an MQD head start each year, automatically getting $2,500 in MQDs deposited toward their elite status every Medallion Qualification Year.

Additionally, Delta SkyMiles Platinum cardholders have a variety of statement credits available to them. Cardholders can enjoy:

• Up to $120 in annual rideshare credits (up to $10 per month on eligible U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers)
• Up to $120 in annual Resy credits (up to $10 per month on eligible U.S. Resy purchases with enrolled card)
• Up to $150 in credits toward prepaid bookings through Delta Stays

Redemption options

If you have the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, you’ll want to redeem your SkyMiles for Delta flights or Delta Vacation purchases. That’s probably why you invested in the platinum-level Delta card in the first place. You can also transfer your miles to one of Delta’s airline partners, use your SkyMiles to upgrade seats, or pay for ticket change fees.

If you aren’t using SkyMiles to enhance your Delta travel experience, you can always use the “Shop With Miles” feature. Redeem your SkyMiles for magazines, charitable donations or any of the other options and experiences Delta offers.

Recommended credit score

As with the Delta SkyMiles Gold card, people with good or excellent credit are more likely to be accepted. If you’re considering applying for the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card, we recommend having a FICO credit score of at least 670.

The bottom line

The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express card and the Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card are two excellent airline credit cards that allow cardholders to earn SkyMiles, take advantage of travel perks and save money on Delta flights.

However, the two cards are not designed for the same traveler. If you are a frequent Delta flyer who takes many trips every year, you might be ready for the platinum-level benefits offered by the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card — as long as you’re ready to pay a platinum-level annual fee. If you’re just getting started with SkyMiles and want a high-earning rewards card that only charges a modest annual fee, the Delta SkyMiles Gold card is the better option.

Still not sure which card to choose? Compare more of the best travel rewards cards before you decide.